The Fall of Cerinia
by Arwing Ace
Summary: This is my Cerinia fic. My version of the events leading to Cerinia's destruction and a story of Krystal's life. Chapter 3, The Fallen, is finally, FINALLY up.
1. Prolouge

"Breathe deep young Discoverer, for you hold in your hands the scared texts of ages long past. Your eyes befall the records of the mighty Krazoa.

In the time before Reasoning the Krazoa once spanned the Continuum. Know that They once sought power unlimited and life infinite in a quest for purity.

And when They had found this power and life in ours and other planets They ascended to a greater existence and released themselves from the toil of physical reality.

…Should you, young Discoverer, find these sacred texts before you then you must know that you harbor the energies of those who came before us and those who watch us with infinite vigilance; the mighty Krazoa.

Having been selected from birth you must know that a great duty lies before you and you must cast your devotion and service if you are to perform this duty. The path to your Commencement as an Avatar will be long, spanning many years of your young life and your duty will continue until you draw your final breath.

Though you may be weak now- your body young and frail- know that in the coming years you will become stronger and have at your command power of which most only dream of. This process has already begun for you young Discoverer.

…The Krazoa are among us now. They have watched us, cared for us since before the Age of Reasoning. And They have guided us to an age of prosperity and peace and brought out of the dark times of war, poverty, hunger, and violence.

But, you must, now and forever, remember that They have called upon us to protect what They cannot; protect their relics, their sacred sites, and their enduring legacy. It is this mutually benefiting relationship that has assured our prosperity and made possible the very survival of our species.

…When all are gathered, untold power is there's to keep and to hold. And yet, for all this force They possess, They may wield the fury of their own power.

Know now, young Discoverer, that the position and control of this very power is now your duty and the very reason for your existence. Do not forsake the Council. Do not forsake the Krazoa. Do not forsake great Cerinia. Understand your ability to gather, understand, control, and utilize your attributes so that you may fulfill your sacred duty.

…Go now, and keep the **First Teaching** in your ears and spirit as you do now what you know you must do."

"Six circle, six watch, six protect, six keep."

-Excerpts from the Council Discoverer Commencement Text

High Krazoa Council, Cerinia

_

* * *

_

_With the mighty Krazoa, the Council as my highest witnesses, I, Randorn Nubis of Starmerge, do solemnly declare with my heart, mind, and soul that I will serve the Council, serve the Krazoa, serve Great Cerinia as an Avatar of the Krazoa. _

_From this time forth I pledge my undying devotion and allegiance to the Council, whose guidance I seek and welcome, whose wisdom I respect and adhere to, whose laws I will obey and uphold, whose power I feel and respect, and whose duty I understand and will carry out, with all my devotion, spirit, and ability._

-High Krazoa Council, Oath of Service


	2. Starmerge

It is the Time of Light, 2nd Lunar Cycle, 14th Day, 1,279th Year of Awakening

(Lylatian Standard Calendar Equivalent: 8/14/2422)

The Aligned City of Starmerge, Provincial State of Ceris, Cerinia

Chapter I-

Thick cloud had pressed down on the city of Starmerge all through the day, and it lingered as dusk now became night. From the north came the ominous sound of rain and thunder as the storm finally broke.

The horizon and sky merged in a gray haze as the lights of the buildings glowed brightly in defiance of the looming darkness. Columns of rainwater met the pavement below and the sewer covers and drains belched forth clouds of steam.

The normally bustling city center of Starmerge began to quiet down. The populace, mostly blue-furred vulpines – the denizens of this world of Cerinia - and the occasional Lylatian tourist or dignitary that stood out from the sea of blue fur, made for the safety of the buildings. Soon, most of the citizens had retired and the city's streets were occupied only by the occasional law enforcement or souls brave enough to venture outside the warm buildings. Energy Levitated Public Transport System trams whisked above the streets, creating the only noise that dared challenge the thunder.

Far north of the center circle of Starmerge's mainstream areas, a solitary figure dutifully marched. The rain seemed to be of little concern to him. If one studied the cerulean vulpine, they would see the rain was simply bouncing off of him. A thin energy shield, invisible to the naked eye, kept the traveler dry. Every now and then a bolt of lightning would flash, revealing the perimeter of the shield for a fraction of a second, producing an eerie glow about the vulpine.

Clad in light metallic armor and dull red robes, the traveler came within sight of Starmerge's second great circular wall. Through the sheet of falling water, he could make out the large Krazoa head sculpture carved into the wall. The intricate bust's height reached from the ground to the wall's top with an entrance through the mouth at the bottom. Though the wall's color of flax with the cerulean lining along the top could still be distinguished in the gloom, it was the Krazoa bust's eyes that truly caught the lone traveler's attention.

It was subtle, yet distinct. The eyes, normally brilliantly lit, seemed as dark as black holes. To any Cerinian within these walls, this was a bad sign, as it meant the city's assigned Krazoa Spirit was not in one of the city's Krazoa Shrines.

While the six main 'Guardian Spirits' resided within the Krazoa Palace in the capital city of Ascension, each of the four Aligned Cities, along with their respective SpellStones, at least one Krazoa Shrine where another Krazoa spirit resided; known as a Keeper Spirit to watch over the city's SpellStone and to assist the Gatekeeper. In this sense, the shrines, which normally acted as safe areas for a Krazoa spirit, worked almost as miniature Krazoa Palaces. Starmerge's shrines had been without its Guardian spirit for five days now.

Kailan Trebus, a High Avatar with the Cerinian Krazoa Order had been sent to retrieve it. Normally such a duty would fall under the Gatekeeper's responsibility. But Randorn, Starmerge's Gatekeeper and a close friend of Kailan, was in Ascension at the summer Gatekeeper Forum where the four Gatekeepers met to confer with the High Council leaders- known unofficially as "The Seven".

So Kailan had gotten the job of retrieving the spirit. No one was entirely sure how the spirit had gotten out of the shrine in the first place. As beings of pure energy, Krazoa spirits had a hard time getting around on their own. When the Krazoa had made their ascension several hundreds of thousands of years ago, they had intended to exist in the "Ascended Reality"; an existence beyond normal comprehension, of pure nirvana some said, that was perfectly suited to their ghost-like forms.

But, when some had been left behind to guard the remains of their interstellar empire on worlds like Cerinia, the Krazoa had found their new forms to be unsuitable for the empirical world of existence. Where once they had walked freely as beings of flesh, the Krazoa spirits could now only move about within the body of another

that any sentient life forms on their former colony worlds would learn to use their magnificent technology, the Krazoa had assigned spirits to watch and guide them. Since Cerinians had reached sentiency, the planet's Krazoa had endowed select individuals the ability to control the energy within the planet, the same energy that the SpellStones controlled, and the same energy with which the Krazoa had made their ascension. These individuals were called Avatars or "Gifted Ones" by some.

Kailan was just such an individual. Like all Avatars his ability had been determined at birth and also like all other Gifted Ones he had devoted his life to Cerinia's Krazoa. He had trained since childhood, slowly rising through the ranks as he grew up, before completing the Trials of the Avatar and becoming a member of the Krazoa Order.

Everything about him reflected Kailan's abilities and his duty. His brass colored armor, actually made of terrazine, and its intricate blue markings along with his dull red robes stood out. His gauntlets, a trademark of a male Avatar, were decorated with jade stones. All of these articles of clothing marked him as a High Avatar, a respectable rank in the Order. Additionally, a red crest on his armor indicated his role as a Guardian; a warrior of the Cerinian Krazoa Order.

He carried a staff, a standard Avatar weapon which he carried on his back retracted to its traveling length. Although perhaps appearing a bit archaic in the modern world, the staff was an elegant weapon with tremendous power. As long as its energy gems were replaced it could unleash blasts of plasma and ice from the rhombus shaped end at the front. On his arms, thighs, and lower back were special ornamental white markings. These had been permanently dyed into his fur at birth to denote him as a Gifted One.

While his attire, weapon, and markings were the typical signs of an Avatar, one other feature, not commonly seen, told all of Cerinia he was an Avatar. These were his eyes, which seemed to burn odd purple flames from within. This showed he had taken a Krazoa spirit into his body. It was the wayward Keeper of Starmerge.

Kailan had never liked harboring a Krazoa spirit within his body. In fact, he had not taken one into his body since the final trial in his younger years, where a Candidate had to take a spirit and then release it within a given shrine somewhere on Cerinia.

Having a Krazoa in one's body had some advantages. The extra consciousness gave the 'Host' Avatar- so to speak- incredible reflexes. Cuts, bruises, and other injuries were not even felt. An Avatar could very well be shot and not feel the plasma bolt burning through his fur and flesh if a Krazoa spirit was within their body. To make it better, these wounds actually _healed_; truly an advantage in combat. All of these advantages, supplied by the pure energy a Krazoa spirit was composed of, were supposed to give the Avatar carrying the spirit a better chance of survival so the spirit could be taken to where it needed to be.

Kailan could not ignore how sharp and clear his surroundings suddenly appeared even in the torrential rain and general lack of light. Nor could he dismiss how quick he was. But with advantages, there are usually annoyances. Firstly, the lightning quick reflexes were only achieved because the Avatar had a sense everything around him was moving slowly. Even though not in combat, Kailan felt like he was moving only inches with each step. Only his lifetime worth of training kept him from being overcome by this shift in his senses. Plus, carrying a Krazoa spirit around required a lot of energy. Sure anyone, even someone who wasn't an Avatar, could undergo the torturous ritual of taking the spirit in and releasing it, but the energy needed to contain the spirit could be extremely demanding on the soul carrying it.

One last annoyance, the spirit was not only within his consciousness, it was a part of his mind now; two souls in one body. It could see his thoughts and speak to him and Krazoa spirits were usually very talkative.

The one within Kailan's body was called Urel. He had been young when the Krazoa had made their ascension and it was anyone's best guess as to why the Krazoa had selected him to be a Keeper Spirit. Perhaps they had simply tired of him in the Ascended Reality…

"I heard that," said the spirit, his voice an echo in Kailan's mind- the spirit had been following Kailan's every thought. The Cerinian growled in annoyance. Urel was entirely capable of communicating with Kailan. Through simply 'speaking' within the speech center of the Avatar's brain, the two could share a conversation. Kailan was not entirely fond of this and since he had retrieved Urel yesterday, the spirit had not granted him much peace.

"I see we're getting close to Starmerge," Urel continued much to Kailan's disdain, "what took you so long?"

"Because the North Point Krazoa Shrine is a two day journey from the city and the Council made no provision for transport," replied Kailan, who preferred to use his voice to communicate.

"Perhaps if you had walked a bit faster…" suggested Urel. The spirit chuckled at the Avatar's thoughts and growing emotions of anger and frustration. Having traveled inside Kailan's body for almost five days now, Urel knew that the Avatar hated conversations with the spirits in general and himself in particular.

Kailan did not respond for a few minutes as he continued towards the wall. When he did finally reach it, he withdrew his staff and extended it to its combat length. The Avatar turned it in his hands so that the end piece, which resembled a shining azure crystal, was in front of him. There was a small hole in the wall centered in a golden seal. He stuck the end of his staff into the keyhole and gave it a quarter turn to the right. He could faintly hear a series of clicks and a sound of mechanical whirring before the colossal door of stone opened at the Krazoa bust's mouth, leading the way into Starmerge.

"Ah beautiful Starmerge," said Urel, "you know Master Kailan, I've never said this but you Cerinians have done a great deed in keeping the city as true as it was during our ascension."

"We're glad we could please you," Kailan replied with a hint of sarcasm. He resented being called 'Master' Kailan by anyone, including a Krazoa spirit. The practice was popular among three of the younger spirits when one had suggested they were slaves to the Cerinians.

Urel was growing bored and he decided to play with Kailan's mind a bit before they reached the Krazoa Shrine. "I do have to ask you though Master Kailan," he said as Kailan passed a pair of saluting guards, "why did they send you of all Avatars?"

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" came Kailan's annoyed, though hushed response. One might get the impression he was crazy if they saw him apparently talking to himself.

"Well, isn't Gatekeeper Randorn supposed to do this type of job- recovering a lost Krazoa spirit?" asked Urel, apparently under the impression Kailan was jealous of his friend for being selected as Starmerge's Gatekeeper. The spirit's assumption was fair, as most Avatars strived to become a Gatekeeper, the most honorable position within the Order, even above The Seven, the High Council Leaders.

"Yes, but Gatekeeper Randorn is in Ascension for still another week. As for why the Council requested that_ I_ retrieve you is anyone's guess," he replied.

Kailan, contrary to Urel's assumptions, was not jealous of Randorn. He knew firsthand from his friend how difficult the job of Gatekeeper could be at times. Kailan could never forget the emotional toll the rank had taken on Randorn's mate Nalini before her death barely six lunar cycles ago. Randorn also had a kit named Sabre with Nalini and now he had to raise the precocious four-year-old along with his other duties. Kailan did not want the same thing to ever happen to his mate Fera and their six-month-old kit, Krysalla.

He thought of Fera and Krysalla then in their home near the southern residences, a stone's throw from Starmerge Force Point Temple and South Krazoa Shrine, one of three such structures, where Kailan was to release Urel.

Fera was the love of his life. They had met during the Krazoa Test, the last trail of a Candidate before he or she became an Avatar in name and rank. In the Test, a Candidate would have to seek out a particular Krazoa Spirit, recover it, and return it to a designated shrine. A mistake within the Council had sent Kailan and Fera to recover the same spirit. The two met during their respective quests. They had married in the year after their Commencement and they had been blessed with Krysalla – who had inherited her parents' powers – soon after.

Urel was silent as he studied Kailan's recent thoughts on Fera and Krysalla. Kailan cursed his free thoughts. It was not just the Avatar's immediate thoughts that Urel could probe and dissect at will. Every memory, acquaintance, or past emotion was Urel's to observe within Kailan's mind.

The Krazoa spirit sifted through Kailan's memories as if looking through a file register. He saw Kailan's parents, his childhood friends, the High Avatar that had trained him as a kit. All of the Avatar's twenty seven years flashed before Urel in barely a second. Now he could see Fera and Krysalla for himself.

"I didn't know you had a family Master Kailan," said the spirit with interest, "_and_ a young kit… with an interesting name for a Cerinian…"

"Her real name is _Krysalla_," Kailan snapped back. He felt an odd compulsion to correct the spirit, "The Lylatian name," he continued, with special scorn on the word 'Lylatian', "came up after she was born." Kailan was of course referring to his daughter's nickname, Krystal, which was apparently a popular name in the alien Lylat System. The similarity of the two names had not been known to him or Fera when they had named their daughter.

"Aw… how sweet," said Urel with significant acrimony, "does your mate call her that?"

Kailan was quickly losing patience with the spirit and he struggled to hide his thoughts as he tried to come up with a way to silence the prying Krazoa. But Kailan knew how hard it could be to tell someone inside your head to be silent.

Finally he had it. "You know Urel, maybe I should be the one asking the questions here."

"Oh?" the spirit seemed to huff arrogantly at this remark.

"Yes. Perhaps I should be asking you who…or what," he added to ensure clarity, "took you from the shrine five days ago?" This chat was just as much a way to get Urel out of Kailan's thoughts as an attempt to answer some questions. The Council, in its tireless ways, had given Kailan his assignment of retrieving Urel on very short notice. Consequently, he knew very little of the circumstances surrounding Urel's disappearance. Aside from the obvious absence of the spirit, all Kailan knew was that a lone individual had come to one of Starmerge's Krazoa shrines, killed the six Honor Guards guarding it, and taken Urel. Then, the next day Urel contacted the Council that he was at North Point Shrine, midway between Starmerge and Ascension.

"I suppose you might ask that Kailan," replied Urel with an air of arrogance, "But my memories are - what's that term - fuzzy?"

"What? How can that be? You're a Krazoa spirit- you never eat or sleep and yet you still fail to see who took you into their body?"

"When did I say I missed the individual Master Kailan?" the spirit shook a proverbial finger at Kailian, as if to scold him, "You must be more specific in your inquiry."

Kailan was already feeling frustrated. "Very well," he said, feigning composure, "Then tell me what you can about this individual."

"It was a strange signature, not unlike an Avatar," recounted the spirit, "But it was different somehow. I remember that very well."

"How so?"

"He was most certainly _not_ an Avatar, or a Cerinian for that matter."

This was puzzling to Kailan. Anything or anyone who harbored Krazoa energy radiated a unique energy signature, known to Avatars as 'aura'. With enough training and practice, an Avatar could 'see' an object or individual's aura long before he could see it with his eyes. For a Krazoa spirit like Urel though, seeing an aura was a skill honed and perfected.

But that was the fact that bothered Kailan. As far he knew, only Krazoa spirits and Avatars produced auras. Since Cerinia was the only planet Kailan knew of that had Avatars, how could an Off-Worlder have generated an aura that Urel could sense?

"So, you sensed this individual's aura. What happened next? Do you remember?" he ventured.

The spirit paused as he searched his memory for the answer. Finally he replied: "Yes! Yes I did see him! When I sensed his aura I made myself visible to greet him. A simple gesture of courtesy you realize."

Kailan nodded. "Did you attempt thought stream speech with him?" Kailan's question was not unusual. Avatars and Krazoa spirits often greeted each other through thought stream speech, or TSS; a form of telepathy.

"Yes, cautiously though. As he came closer, I remember his aura became more distinct. I immediately realized I was not dealing with an Avatar. But, he blocked my queries somehow."

Kailan raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean he 'blocked' them?"

"Well, I simply tried to establish a thought stream. But I could not reach his consciousness and thus I could not communicate with him."

"Strange…" remarked Kailan, "and you're _sure_ he was not Cerinian?"

"I can say that with absolute confidence Kailan."

The Avatar thought in silence for a few moments. Who could this mysterious creature have been: an Off-Worlder, yet one who produced his own aura? It defied convention.

A thought crossed his mind. Could it have been a Lylatian? The Lylat system was one of Cerinia's two contacts with a world of intelligent beings, the other being the ancient world of Sauria, itself a Krazoa world.

The Lylatians were not one species but over a dozen unique intelligent species that originated on a planet called Corneria that had come together to form a unified system. One of these species, the Vulpines, bore a striking resemblance to the Cerinians. Aside from the longer muzzle and the red, brown, or black fur of the Cornerian vulpine races, the two species were virtually identical.

Focusing on the matter at hand, Kailan tried to give reason to his idea that a Lylatian had taken Urel. He knew of the scattered Krazoa artifacts on some of the Lylat System's worlds, but he had never heard of anything like an Avatar coming from this alien system. How had this individual developed the powers and skill necessary to produce an aura? And what would he want with a Krazoa spirit like Urel?

Kailan suddenly heard a pinging noise in his mind. It was a soft, gentle sound used by Avatars used to hail each other to mind-link, which would allow a long range telepathic conversation via thought stream speech.

Urel got to the message before Kailan could. "It's your mate Master Kailan," the spirit said, his voice taking on its more familiar rudeness.

_Damn it_, thought Kailan. The spirit had already probed deeper into Kailan's mind then the Avatar liked. The last thing he wanted to do was to have Urel listen in on a TSS conversation with his wife.

"Urel, you had best not disturb this conversation. Is that clear?" he said dangerously.

Urel seemed unfazed. "I'm not sure I like being threatened by my own Avatar, Mas-."

"Just shut up Urel. You are supposed to respect the personal matters of the Avatars as per the Avatar Protocol."

Kailan could very well picture Urel rolling his eyes. The Avatar Protocol was an ancient series of rules, regulations, and doctrines between Avatars and the Krazoa spirits drawn up back when the first Avatars had reached maturity. The Protocol had been established to achieve harmony and balance through a series of doctrines promoting mutual respect between Cerinians and Krazoa. Urel knew it back and forth and he decided to let Kailan have his privacy.

So Kailan mentally investigated the hail and found, much to his delight, that it was indeed his mate Fera. He sought some shelter in an alley and stood in the dark corner. He checked his surroundings quickly before he ducked beneath a canopy. While in the mind-link, Kailan's senses would be useless as his mind focused only on the thought stream. It would leave him vulnerable should he be attacked.

Assured that his surroundings did not present any immediate threats, Kailan closed his eyes and focused on the message. It led him down a mental path through which, as he followed it, he could feel his thoughts getting closer to Fera.

As he drew closer to the moment of contact, he could almost feel her presence beside him. Such was the joy and the dismay of telepathy. In many ways it was like a dream; it seemed unnaturally real, as if the other was in front of you. It was something of a shock when the link was closed, as one suddenly realized they were in fact separated.

Finally, he found Fera in the family home in the south of the city. Thoughts and emotions became a background of color, fragile and placid like a pond. Speech acted like tiny pebbles, producing ripples in the thought pattern. At that instant Kailan and Fera were in their own world, where only one could hear the other and their minds were merged.

"Hello?" he queried. He saw her thoughts become a gentle tone of amber, showing happiness.

"I can hear you Kailan," she replied. Her voice was sweet and lyrical and it sounded like beautiful music to Kailan. Even five days without hearing her was a trial for him. She seemed to struggle a musical laugh as she sensed and read his thoughts. "So you did miss me?"

"I always do Fera," he replied. Kailan couldn't help but notice the anxiety in her speech.

"You're close aren't you?" she said sweetly, "Where are you?"

"I'm in Starmerge. I'll be home within the hour. I just need to return Urel to one of the shrines."

"So you've returned from the North Point Shrine did you find Urel?" she inquired.

"Yes, I arrived barely half an hour ago," he replied.

Then something unexpected happened. Fera's thought colors grew darker, becoming almost, yet not quite, black. Kailan could sense Fera trembling and suddenly he saw a distortion in the thought pattern, like a bubble near Fera's breast. He instantly knew it had to be Krysalla. She was also an Avatar and though still an infant, Krysalla produced her own thought pattern. Fera was holding her close. The signs were ominous. Something was seriously wrong. Kailan could feel it in every part of his being.

"I'm so glad you've returned Kailan," Fera finally spoke through the mind-link, "Something…" she paused.

"Fera, what's wrong?" Kailan demanded, who by now was becoming very worried.

"Kailan, someone has been watching me since you left. I still haven't seen them and when I look for thought patterns all I see is… well, I don't know what I see. I'm scared," said Fera, her voice seemed to match the color Kailan could see.

A chill went up Kailan's spine. Could this blocking of Fera's thought patterns be the same thing that Urel's kidnapper have used? The prospect of this was truly terrifying.

She continued: "It was an occasional thing at first. I would sense their presence and they would disperse. But they, whoever they are… they've been here since nightfall…"

"Why didn't you contact anyone at the Force Point Temple while I was away?" Kailan asked.

"I did try several times, ever since the first instance," Fera explained, "but ever since Urel went missing and with Randorn in Ascension, it seems that the sanity of every Avatar in Starmerge went with him."

Some of Fera's words stood out to Kailan: _'ever since Urel went missing…'_ That was when this tormentor had arrived. Another, far more terrifying thought crossed Kailan's mind; could these two events, Urel's disappearance and this stalker be connected?

"Can Krysalla and I meet you at the shrine?" Fera continued, "And then could we go the Force Point Temple for the night? I'm sure they will grant us shelter and protection. Please Kailan, I don't feel safe here…"

Kailan did not like the sound of someone stalking his wife and infant kit. Starmerge's Force Point Temple was heavily guarded by Honor Guards and they would find safety there until this antagonist could be found and dealt with.

"Okay Fera, it's going to be all right. Take Krysalla and meet me at Sanru Shrine. I'll have to release Urel when we get there, but then we can go to the temple."

Fera sounded relieved, yet still uncomfortably anxious. Kailan sensed a sigh of relief. "Okay, we're leaving know. I'll have to close the mind-link…" Fera sounded hesitant at this; she clearly didn't feel safe without Kailan's 'presence'. "Please," she continued, "be at the shrine when Krysalla and I get there."

"I will be Fera, I promise," he replied then added, "I love you."

"I love you too Kailan." And with that the color vanished and Kailan's consciousness traveled back down the path to his own mind. With this done he opened his eyes and dashed out of the alley and into the rain.


	3. Spirited Away

Chapter II-

Fera ducked into the sitting room on the lower level of her house. The lights were all turned out and she hoped that the shadows would conceal her and her daughter for a few precious moments.

A bolt of lightning lit the cloud choked night sky for a few seconds and Fera crouched further behind the furniture. She feared that the thunder that followed might scare Krysalla, whom Fera had wrapped in blankets and was holding tightly in her arms. But little Krystal barely stirred.

She quickly turned her attention to the disturbance upstairs. There were two of them and she could sense them both. As an Apprentice, Fera had been taught extrasensory perception or ESP. This gave her the ability to sense activity outside of the realm of the "Empirical Senses" of sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. In this case, while she couldn't see what was going on above her, she could certainly sense it. Though she had been taught to rely on her powers, Fera did not like the idea of not being able to actually see who was tormenting her and Krystal.

Fera had found that only her ESP and her thought stream speech seemed to work when the intruders were near. Everything else she knew seemed futile when they came. These included techniques for identifying the mysterious figures. All her efforts resulted in only a haze. When it seemed that both her abilities and her senses had failed her, Fera felt vulnerable.

She was not however completely defenseless. As she had grabbed Krystal from her crib, Fera had also managed to get her arc blade. The arc blade was Fera's personal weapon. It consisted of a curved handle with twin energy projectors that, when activated, formed an azure energy blade in the shape of an arc.

The intruders were ransacking the upper floor of the house. Fera didn't need any of her Avatar abilities to know that. She could hear them turning furniture over, opening doors before slamming them shut and the alien voices howled with anger and frustration as each attempt to find what they were seeking failed.

Fera had no idea who these intruders were, much less what they had come for. But she knew without question that they were the cause of every sleepless night since Kailan had left to find Urel five days ago.

These foes baffled her. Like her husband, Fera was also in the Guardian class of the Avatars. Her Mentor, the Avatar who had trained her as an Apprentice and Candidate, had taught her every trick and tactic of close quarters combat. She was certain that she could easily best the two intruders upstairs.

But Fera was a mother now and she had to take the safety of her kit into account. Her tactics now were to hide and hope that whoever was upstairs would give up and leave. In any case, she had to get out of the house and meet Kailan at the shrine.

Another bolt of lightening streaked across the sky and the thunder that followed it sounded off like a hundred cannon. This one awoke little Krystal and she began to cry softly.

Fera gently rocked her daughter, hoping that she would not get any louder. In desperation, she recalled an Avatar method for the situation. Fera remembered how her mother had shown her how to calm her infant baby brother when he was upset. It was a special delicate form of TSS. One that, if Fera remembered correctly, affected a certain part of the brain, feeding it feelings of comfort and safety.

As she tried to calm Krystal, Fera found that the technique required a great amount of energy. This was mainly to control her own thought stream as she attempted a one way mind-link. Thought stream speech worked by focusing energy from within an Avatar's body through the brain, linking two, or more, consciousnesses. Energy pulses along the link carried the communications. It was this energy that Fera had to carefully control. Too much energy through the thought stream might damage Krystal's small brain, which was neither developed nor trained to receive the same kind of energy older Avatars used.

To Fera's partial amazement, Krystal stopped crying as soon as she formed the mind-link. She carefully sent a personal message through the thought stream. Fera knew Krystal wouldn't understand it, she was far too young to understand thought stream speech. But Fera felt like she had to do it anyway.

_We're going to be just fine Krystal… _

As she closed the mind-link and Krystal began to sleep once again, Fera sensed the movement upstairs stop suddenly. For a brief moment she thought that the intruders had given up and left. But this notion was shattered abruptly when she sensed their movements again, suddenly running for the stairs…

_No! _

The vixen rose to her feet to find two figures dressed in what she assumed to be combat gear rushing down the stairs and thus blocking the door leading outside. They were clothed in armored suits as black as the night, their faces lost behind face concealing masks. One stopped at the foot of the staircase and jabbed a menacing furry finger at her. The alien voice, which Fera could not understand, gave him away as male. The other cloaked figure appeared and uttered a reply. The first called out, "Stop vixen!" in impeccable Cerinian, much to Fera's surprise and shock.

How had they found her, she wondered in horror. She suddenly heard the voice of the first intruder again. They were not words that came into her ears, but could this time be heard within her consciousness. He had forged a thought stream to her.

"Vixen, you are trapped," said the voice menacingly, "I would not try to run. You would not be the only to suffer the consequences of acting foolishly."

The voice paused, as if to savor both the moment and the look of absolute terror on Fera's soft features.

"Yes," he seemed to hiss, "I can sense your daughter, vixen. Both of us can. And you know as well as I do that even thoughts can kill."

Fera scowled at the black figures. She looked directly at the first figure, who was doing all of the talking. She opened her mouth to speak, but a different thought stream voice, the one of the second intruder, interrupted her.

"Speaking is not recommended either, vixen. We're certainly not here to talk."

It was then that Fera realized that the two figures must have heard her calming Krystal through her thought stream. Fera never suspected that the intruders possessed Avatar abilities, so she failed to restrict her thought stream to Krystal alone. The end result was that anyone within range could 'hear' her every thought. Fera cursed herself for not taking the precaution of restricting her thought stream. It had led them straight to her and Krystal.

Feeling cornered and knowing she was trapped, Fera growled at the figures.

"It doesn't have to be hard, for you or your kit. In fact, sit down and make yourself comfortable," the second continued, feigning hospitality.

"We don't have to hurt you," the first said threateningly, "All we want is a little favor. Contact your husband and tell him to come here immediately. It's really better for everyone; you, me, your husband, your kit…" Fera could almost sense a sneer forming from behind the mask.

Fera found her voice. "You take me for an idiot?" she snapped back, "I will never bring him here for whatever your motives may be!"

The first figure stepped forward and a bolt of lightning brought the features of his mask into view. His hidden eyes glared at Fera. "You will do what we say, vixen," he hissed.

"I'm not so easily persuaded," Fera shot back.

Both figures seemed amused at the Avatar's defiance. "Oh, but we believe you are," said the second, "You are bold vixen, but you are far from wise."

Fera suddenly heard a faint buzzing in her head. It started quiet but it steadily grew louder. As it did, the vixen felt a severe stabbing pain within her head. It felt like a knife being driven straight down through her skull. A second burst followed, then a third. Finally a fourth blow, but this one remained. Fera closed her eyes tightly and groaned.

Her body began to tremble involuntarily and her knees gave way, forcing her to kneel on the floor. She knew exactly what was happening: psionic feedback. If communication through the thought stream was managed by energy, then psionic feedback was the use of that energy as a weapon. It was done by putting more energy through the thought stream then required. This was a common problem when a Discoverer or Apprentice was learning TSS. Damage could range from a small headache to complete paralysis of the brain, resulting in death.

In the latter, deadly form, psionic feedback was a cold and painful way to die, as Fera was now discovering.

But she also knew that 'successful' psionic feedback (that which killed the other Avatar) took a phenomenal amount of energy. Despite the incredible pain of the figure's attack, it became clear to Fera that he was not very skilled in using psionic feedback. She sensed him getting weaker with each attack. She was confident that she could overcome it.

"So," said the first figure, "what do you have to say vixen? Will you cooperate?"

"Here's what I have to say," Fera spoke loudly on the thought stream, "your technique needs a lot more work." The Avatar could only imagine the figure's horror when she said this.

Fera's next actions were quick and deceive. With a single deft movement of her free left arm, she pulled the arc blade from behind her. Activating it quickly, the vixen threw the blade with all her skill.

Swishing through the air like a glowing azure boomerang, the blade cut deep into both of the intruders. The first took a glancing slice through his neck and died a quick death. His companion was cut across his abdomen and right arm. With cries and screams of agony, the second figure slumped to the ground and collapsed on the first. A pool of warm blood began to flow across the polished wooden floor.

The arc blade hit the far wall, ricocheting off as it fail-safes disengaged the weapon. Fera remained in a kneeling posture for a few moments as her splitting headache subsided. The haze that had blocked almost all of her abilities dissipated like a fog breaking.

Krystal, unsurprisingly, was again disturbed. This time by the dying sounds of the second intruder. Restricting her thought stream this time, Fera again comforted her child. When Krystal had quieted down, Fera walked briskly to recover her arc blade.

After securing the weapon on her back, she moved towards the nearest door and walked into the storm, now more eager then ever to meet Kailan at the Krazoa Shrine.

-----------------------------------------

"Is there anything in the Avatar Protocol that says I can't ask what's happening?" Urel's calm voice broke Kailan's worried focus. The Avatar was hesitant to answer for a moment, but he spoke anyway.

"Someone's been scaring Fera for a few days now and she and Krystal are going to meet us at the shrine."

"Oh my," said Urel, sounding generally concerned, an odd personality departure for him, "For how long has this been going on?"

The idea that the two events, Urel's disappearance and this mysterious stalker, were connected crossed Kailan's mind once more. As an Avatar, Kailan had been taught to always seek connection. Everything in the Continuum was connected in some way. He recalled the lesson of how the death of stars ultimately leads to the formation of new worlds. Thus, a star's death billions of years ago was connected to the birth of Cerinia and her people. Everything in existence was a complex web of interconnected, if not always so obvious, links.

Kailan's connection of the kidnapping of a Krazoa Spirit and the dire threats to his wife and child seemed to form a definite link.

"Five days," he said, "Since…I…" he hesitated to answer, as if saying it would make his worst fears true.

"Since you…" Urel begged. Then he picked up on Kailan's thoughts, "left to come get me…Kailan…"

"It can't be," Kailan mumbled and stopped in another alley. He tried to establish a new mind-link with Fera. He had to warn her. The stalkers might be dangerous. It would be tough since she was running, but he'd contacted other Avatars on the move before. He started to focus.

But Kailan encountered resistance, but of a kind he'd never experienced before. It was like a broken holo-image, an ugly panorama of garbled black and white lines. The sounds in his mind sounded similar as all he could hear was white noise.

"Urel," he said, "was this the interference you mentioned when the Lylatian came?"

Urel's answer chilled Kailan to the bone: "Yes."

If that was true, there was now no way he would be able to reach her. Also, there was the very real possibility that whoever had taken Urel, or at least someone with a connection to the event, was nearby.

"You're being followed," Urel's warning confirmed Kailan's fears. "Behind you!" the spirit's voice said urgently.

Kailan stood his ground at first, but only long enough to catch a glimpse over his shoulder. At first he saw nothing as the lights in this part of the city where inexplicable down. It was only when another bolt of lightning flashed did Kailan see his pursuer.

He, assuming it was a he, was tall, easily larger than Kailan. The figure was dressed in a dark grey suit and brandished with chest and joint armor. His face was concealed behind a black mask, on which was branded a strange three-tiered crest. Kailan had never seen such a symbol before. It was colored orange and red. Kailan also saw what he recognized as the Lylatian letter 'V'.

But the Avatar had no time to further study this strange figure, which was now coming closer to him. The figure's size and the poor lighting conditions made Kailan conclude that his best option was to run. He took off in a sprint.

"Urel, how long has he been following us?"

"I just noticed him when we left the alley. He stood there, watching you. I think he could hear your TSS."

"What?! How?" Kailan's voice begged an explanation.

"While you were talking to your mate I sensed a strong power surge. It eventually linked up with yours."

Kailan was stupefied. But his shock turned to horror as he realized that his pursuer may have warned Fera's tormentors of their plan to rendezvous at the Krazoa shrine.

"Kailan! There's another one! To your right!" cried Urel. Kailan turned left to avoid this new enemy. What did it matter anyway? This is the way he was supposed to go.

Or is that what his pursuer wanted?

He ran for several minutes through downtown Starmerge with the rain still pouring from the heavens. Suddenly, the jamming haze, which had continued to plague his efforts to contact Fera, vanished. This could only mean the pursuers were gone, but Kailan was not entirely sure if he had lost the cloaked figure. Their jamming seemed to be a device rather then a technique, which meant they could turn it off and on at will.

"Kailan, these individuals must be connected with who took me from the shrine," said Urel, "the jamming, the harassment of your mate… even that is too much of a coincidence."

"I fear the same thing Urel," Kailan replied, "Whoever they may be, they seem to want you."

"May I suggest then that you release me as soon as you arrive at the shrine? From there I can go somewhere else and stay hidden."

Kailan agreed. He would release Urel if he arrived at the shrine before Fera. Even though he was now gravely concerned for Fera and Krystal, Kailan had to keep his duties in mind. Besides, he knew Fera was crafty. She would be okay.

It wasn't much longer before he had found the shrine. Immediately Kailan noticed the absence of an Honor Guard company. Though this was a further mystery and frustration, Kailan focused on searching for Fera with both his senses and abilities. Failing to find her, Kailan turned his attention to releasing Urel into the shrine.

The Entrance Hall where Kailan soon found himself was in fact of Cerinian construction; essentially an add-on built next to the Krazoa-built shrine. It was a short journey from this room to the Central Chamber. It was here that a spirit could either be acquired or released. It was a massive and splendid room. Built of stone blocks and supported by a quintet of majestic pillars, the room glowed with a special light from torches. On the far wall was a circle of what appeared as liquid metal which rippled like the water of a disturbed pond.

In the center of the room was a special floor panel that was colored differently from the rest. Kailan approached this and stood on it. "Well Urel, this is where you get off," he joked. The spirit was strangely quiet.

Kailan took a deep breath, centering himself on the floor panel and closed his eyes. Almost immediately, his knees trembled and collapsed, sending him kneeling in the direction of the eerie rippling mirror. He let his arms hang loosely at his sides, but they suddenly rose as if an invisible force forced them to lift parallel to the floor. He closed his eyes and took a prolonged, deep breath, steeling himself for the next phase.

Then, it came; that disturbing force that felt to Kailan like a hand reaching into his chest. It was not a pleasant experience, as pain suddenly surged through every fiber of his body. It was intense even to Kailan, who like all Avatars was trained to be indifferent to pain and discomfort. It seemed to penetrate every muscle, bone, and cell of him as the spirit prepared to leave him. He grunted and breathed heavy long breaths, attempting to banish the pain from his mind. But then, just as suddenly as it had come on, the pain was alleviated and he let out a final cry -more of relief then pain- as the spirit left his body. Urel materialized as ghostly blue apparition and turned to face Kailan briefly before turning and then disappeared into the mirror.

Kailan opened his eyes as his arms fell back to his sides. For a few moments all of his senses were numb save for sight. But slowly his mind cleared and he exhaled a long sigh before rising to his feet. He felt weak, but he summoned enough strength to run back towards the Entrance Hall. He kept a wary eye out for his pursuers and Fera. There was no sign of any of them. Kailan became anxious and he darted back into the stormy night.

There was a flash of lightning from the north and Kailan suddenly saw Fera, Krystal wrapped in her arms, silhouetted against the light. But he also glimpsed another figure, identical to his own pursuers who seemed to be chasing Fera. The figure seemed to lurch forward rather than run. He seemed slumped and he was holding his right arm with his left hand.

Kailan withdrew his staff and extended it to its combat length. He charged a shot from the fire blaster, which shot forth bright red plasma bolts. He took aim at the figure and fired.

But his target noticed the red flash of Kailan's staff and managed to dodge the shot. Kailan cursed under his breath and surged forward, now resigned to do close quarter combat with the figure.

He reached him in a few heartbeats, much to the surprise of his target, whose shock and terrible surprise at seeing Kailan, staff drawn with burning eyes of anger charging right at him, could be seen even through his masked face. Kailan swung the staff down, hitting the assailant in the left side of his neck. The figure was knocked sideways but managed to stay his footing. He tried to draw the pistol in its holster clipped to a belt, but Kailan was much fasterand the staff swung from its first position to the cloaked figure's right arm with blinding speed.

This threw him to the ground where Kailan set upon him, hitting him in the chest and head as he spun the staff in a complete circle. A bright line of blue light followed the weapon's movement as Kailan hit the figure once more on his head. He heard a groan above the thunder as the cloaked assailant slipped into unconsciousness.

Kailan paused for a few moments to regain his breath. He was still feeling the effects of releasing Urel. Finally he kneeled beside the fallen enemy and removed the figure's mask. He was most definitely not a Cerinian. He had no fur but instead had a thick, cracked green skin and a pair of high set beady eyes and no visible ears. It was a lizard, one of the denizens of the Lylat System.

He kicked the lizard in his side and growled angrily. If it was up to Kailan, he would have killed the bastard who had chased his wife though Starmerge. But he had done his duty to protect and the lizard was no longer a threat. He rushed to join his wife.

Fera had retreated to the relative safety of the entrance to the shrine. Kailan rushed to embrace her. He gently wrapped his arms around her. Fera began to sob as the two finally saw each other. Krystal however was completely silent.

"Are you two okay?" he asked.

Fera nodded, "We're fine."

"Was anyone else following you?" Fera shook her head.

"I managed to wound him when he broke into our house. I would have finished him off on my own, but I had to carry Krystal of course," she tried to joke. Kailan looked at the bundle of blankets Fera had wrapped Krystal in. Only her tiny face showed; her bright cyan eyes hidden behind tiny eyelids. Kailan smiled at his daughter and gently stroked the top of her head. The infant kit stirred slightly in her slumber.

"I'm glad to see that both of you are safe," he said, kissing Fera and gently embracing her again, "come on, let's get inside before this guy's friends arrive."

"There's more than one?" said Fera in a distressed voice.

"Yes, I was followed by one and attacked by another. They can't be far behind. But don't worry, I'll seal the doors, now get inside quickly!"

Fera nodded and dashed inside with Krystal. Kailan stayed behind to close the massive stone door. Using the key on his staff he sealed and locked the doors so that only another Avatar could open them. The sheer mass of the two meter thick doors would stop anything else from getting in. With this done, Kailan dashed to the Central Chamber.

When he arrived there, he found Fera sitting on the floor still holding Krystal. She looked up at Kailan with a strange look in her eyes. She was genuinely terrified and, though he didn't want to admit it, so was Kailan. He had never encountered something that disrupted mind-links before. Telepathy was supposed to be unbreakable so long as both Avatars stayed focused. He sat next to Fera.

"We're safe in here," he said with a gentle, reassuring voice, "only an Avatar with his weapon can open that door." Fera nodded and glanced up at Kailan.

But no sooner had he said this when there was a tremendous crashing sound from the Entrance Hall. Kailan and Fera starred wide-eyed in the direction of the doors as another crash sounded. Krystal stirred and finally awoke. The kit had that expression of infant ignorance and innocence, completely unaware her life was threatened.

Kailan rose to his feet and checked his staff. He knew what he had to do. Fera's startled expression begged an explanation.

"Fera," said Kailan as calmly as he could manage, "there's a passage that leads to the right before you enter the Central Chamber. You should find an exit if you follow it. Do you understand?"

Fera nodded reluctantly as she realized where her husband was getting at.

"You and Krystal need to get out of here, I'll hold them here as long as I can."

Fera was sobbing now as she stood up. "Kailin-," she started.

"There's no time Fera, you must get moving!" interrupted Kailan. Fera started towards down the hall as Kailan slowly walked towards the breaking doors. Centuries of structural fortitude were somehow crumbling to the unknown pursuers. Suddenly Kailan turned around.

"Fera!" he called out and the vixen spun to face him. They looked at each other for a moment before Kailan answered, "I'll see you on the other side."

What did he mean by that, wondered Fera. Was he going to meet her outside the shrine? Or was he stating his willingness to die for her and their kit? Before she could ask, he cried out "Go! Now!" and she instinctively ran down the path.

Then there was final loud thud on the hardened stone doors. There was a rush of cold air that reached Fera in force. She stopped and ducked into a side alcove, stealing a glance towards the Entrance Hall.

The overhead lights fluctuated; first dimming, and then brightening to a malicious glare, before fading back down and remaining. All of this occurred as three cloaked figures emerged from the rain. Fera noticed that one was taller then the other two and was wearing a black cloak emblazoned with additional insignia. This figure bellowed something that Fera couldn't understand and then raised his arms. Fera watched in horrified fascination as the lights dimmed even more.

She ran. She desperately wanted to help Kailan, but she knew that to turn back now would be to dishonor his noble sacrifice. He would get out, Fera thought to herself, he was stronger than them – in body and in mind. He would win, he always did.

But now Fera had to focus on the treacherous path in the heart of the shrine. This passage was the actual entry into the shrine, the one which the Krazoa had intended an Avatar to enter in ancient times. Fera grimly remembered the shrine paths she had gone through as an Apprentice and Candidate to prepare her should she ever need to recover a Krazoa spirit from the shrines. Unfortunately, the shrine had detected the intruders and had activated the security systems along the path. Flames shot from the walls and ceilings in bursts, which Fera had to dodge. She then had to cross a narrow walkway which traversed a deep pit filled with water, where whirlpools churned ominously. All this while carrying Krystal was hardly an easy task. It demanded so much of her concentration that she found she needed to dock into an alcove to rest.

When she did, she tried to 'see' Kailan and make contact with him. Was he okay? She found him, but there was no color in his thought pattern; he was dead.

The grief that overcame Fera was short, as suddenly all three black cloaked figures entered the far end of the hallway. The tallest of them, who wore some kind of angular, V-shaped crest on his chest, shouted in a strange tongue and pointed at her and the other two raced to catch her.

Fera's first reaction was to hold her ground and use her arc blade. But she had to protect Krystal and she had no choice but to dash down the hall. Still hoping to find the exit Kailan had told her about, she listened as the sounds of the alien language grew steadily louder.

The vixen descended an elegant staircase and turned left into a new room. There was nothing. No exit, no door, no escape from the cloaked pursuers. There was one thing that she noticed, the sole purpose of this room; the warp panel.

The panel was large circular stone decorated with the Krazoa Shield, a flower-like symbol with six interconnection petals, which rose roughly fifteen centimeters from the floor. A few specks of light rose from the center, indicating the panel was active.

While salvation seemed to so openly present itself in the warp panel, Fera knew that the only safe way to use the panel was to go one at a time. And with the pursuers coming closer and closer by the second, Fera knew there would not be enough to send Krystal through and then go through herself.

She looked at Krystal and then the warp panel and realized what she had to do. Yes, there were a lot of factors and variables to consider. Would the panel work with little Krystal? And if it did, where did it lead? And would someone find her there?

Under normal circumstances Fera would never even consider what she was thinking, but these were far from normal circumstances and the alien voices were still coming ever closer. She concluded finally, it was the only way to save her kit.

With the sounds of heavy footsteps and angry alien voices coming closer, Fera moved towards the warp panel. She stopped for a moment and brought Krystal to her body one last time and embraced her for a few seconds. And then, tears pouring from her eyes and repressed wails still coming out as sobs, she placed her infant kit on the warp panel. Krystal, who had up to this point been virtually silent, suddenly began wailing when she was released from her mother's arms. Fera activated the platform.

Light engulfed Krystal's tiny body still wrapped in blankets and her crying grew fainter. Finally, she disappeared.

Fera repressed all doubts and worries of Krystal's safety and took to destroying as much of the warp panel as she could. There was no way she was going to let her pursuers get to Krystal, even if she had to die to protect her. The sabotage was hardly an easy task, partly from the complexity of Krazoa teleportation technology, but also from the knowledge that she was committing sacrilege. Destroying Krazoa technology was a crime equated to murder on Cerinia. This did not stop Fera for a second. She would do anything to save her child.

Eventually, she pried a hidden access panel open with her arc blade and then destroyed the complex circuitry with the weapon. The warp panel's light died out. Fera breathed a sigh of relief even as the three cloaked figures, the tallest leading the pursuit suddenly burst into the room.

The overhead lights sputtered and finally went dark.

Fera drew her arc blade and clasped it tightly in her right hand. She slowly rose to her feet, turned to face the enemy, and prepared to go down fighting.

It was late in the city of Ascension and the four Gatekeepers, the guardians of the SpellStones of Cerinia, stumbled ungracefully out of the meeting hall of the Council Chamber into one of the many passage ways of Krazoa Palace. All were bone tired and anxious to retire to their beds.

Three of them shuffled out quickly and then immediately turned right towards the exit. The fourth, the youngest, known as Randorn, lagged behind. Even as he tried to catch up with the other three Gatekeepers, they did their best to keep their distance from him.

_Bastards_, Randorn thought to himself.

He stopped where he was, one of the six entrances to the Great Hall of Krazoa Palace. The room was brightly lit as always, giving the towering Krazoa statues an eerie air. Their shadows seemed to dance in the torchlight, making them seem alive. Aside from the quiet crackling of the torches and the footsteps of the others slowly growing quieter down the hall, everything was still and quiet.

It was rather surprising then when something caught Randorn's eye. It was the warp panel. Light erupted from its center like a volcano. Someone was coming through from one of the shrines. But why so late, wondered Randorn.

There was something else odd about this transmission. The light was normally the height of the person coming through, but the light here wasn't even a meter tall.

The light converged on the center of the pad and the outline of a small object appeared. As the object materialized, it appeared as a bundle of blankets. Randorn approached it cautiously and was met with a wailing sound. Though he had not heard it for years know, Randorn recognized it as a kit crying.

He noticed her face and he picked her up. Her eyes opened just enough to see him before she continued crying. Randorn looked absolutely dumbstruck at the kit. Where had she come from? The warp pad at Krazoa Palace was connected to every other pad across Cerinia. Who had sent her through the warp and how had she survived?

Randorn then noticed the white markings on her little arms. She was an Avatar. These new discoveries in mind, he rushed down the hall to seek help.


	4. The Fallen

It is the Time of Light, 2nd Lunar Cycle, 15th Day: 1,279th Year of Awakening

(Lylatian Standard Calendar Equivalent: 8/15/2422)

Chapter III-

**Randorn Nubis** was everywhere, yet nowhere. It was impossible to say exactly _where _he was in the strange never-never land of Cerinia's warp network. Though it was said that everyone experienced a warp transit differently, Randorn himself could not fathom any variations on the experience. He couldn't see or hear, but he felt a dizzying sense of velocity.

He knew he had arrived when he started to see flashes of light. The young Gatekeeper of Starmerge began to feel the invisible whirlwind of energy around his body. His eyes were closed as the warp panel began to put him back together, one molecule at a time. Randorn had once opened his eyes during a warp transit to find that his fingers and toes were still appearing from thin air. The sight had so terrified him that he since never opened his eyes until he _knew_ that the warp was complete.

Randorn waited for the familiar nausea which told him that he had made it through. Cautiously he opened his eyes and scanned his body in the dim light of the glowing warp panel. Never much of an enthusiast for going through warp transits, Randorn always checked to make sure he had not 'lost' anything. Yes, he knew that it was Krazoa technology; perfect both in form and function as he had been taught. But there was something disturbing about being broken down and then reassembled by technology whose age went back millennia.

The warp sickness in Randorn's stomach was suddenly overcome by a very different sort of nausea. The circular alcove he now found himself in was an island of light in the pitch black of the room. The Warp Chamber was below ground and Randorn felt like an insect beneath the towering ceiling, whose elegant, carved transparent panels were only just visible above him. The ancient stone walls, as smooth and flawless as glass, reflected the warp panel and seemed to glow themselves.

The purpose of Randorn's return to Starmerge – the reports of attacks in this very shrine – very suddenly left his mind. As far as he could see, there was no sign that anyone had been here. But Randorn didn't have any other reason to believe this. In fact, the assailants reported by spirit Urel could very well still be here somewhere. Fearing that his arrival might have been noticed by such a hostile presence, he brought out his staff and extended it to combat length. The darkness might as well have been total as the Warp Panel, its duty complete, began to power down. It now put out a fraction of the light it had before and the blackness continued its assault on the room, robbing Randorn of what sight he had. While this did not frighten him, Randorn knew that doing anything would be next to impossible now.

But just then as the Warp Panel dimmed, there was a brief glint in the darkness as something reflected the last of the light. Curious and cautious all at once, Randorn walked briskly towards the source. It had lasted only a moment, but he did his best to remember where it had been. His foot hit something solid and Randorn could hear as the object skidded forward across the stone floor. After a futile search in the dark for any sign of movement, he knelt on his right knee and felt the area ahead of him with his free left hand. His fingers brushed something metallic.

He was about to grasp the object when he heard the clatter of metal hitting the floor. A brief pop of light sparked near the end of the chamber. When the darkness returned, a quiet voice emerged and muttered something. Randorn could then here the sound of light footsteps.

Randorn wasn't sure who or what had made the noise. But, in true accordance with one of the Teachings of Combat, he chose to investigate the disturbance himself rather then let whatever had caused it find him. The words of the Teaching, hewn to his mind, now repeated:

_Always enter an unfamiliar area as if your enemy might be watching your every move… _

He crept forward with great care.

Suddenly, three lights snapped on from the floor. Caught off guard, Randorn quickly decided to act. In the new, low light he glimpsed the figure, a blur of red, grey, and blue, and made his move, bringing his staff up and aiming to bring its front to the figure's neck. The enemy, whoever he was, at first recoiled and fell back. But as Randorn made the attack, the individual somehow managed to grab his staff and pull him sideways.

Randorn countered by pulling the staff, and the defending fellow, towards him. He planned next to spin and therefore force the sharp, crystalline end piece into the assailant's stomach. This, he hoped, would throw the enemy off balance long enough for Randorn to bring him down.

But before he could put this plan in motion, Randorn felt a pair of hands fall on his shoulders from behind. These then gripped him tightly. Now it was he was being pulled – backwards. The abrupt change of motion forced the staff from his hands. The first assailant, who held fast to Randorn's staff, now sailed across the room until he hit the far wall. Still being pulled backwards, Randorn felt the new attacker suddenly sidestep and then push him violently. The Gatekeeper fell to the floor, winding him and slamming the back of his head into the hard stone at the base of the panel. The second figure was above him, moving too fast for Randorn to follow his movements, but the Gatekeeper did recognize the telltale glow of an energy blade.

He cursed himself for acting so rash, having assumed that the element of surprise would give him the advantage. But Randorn had never made provisions for a second threat. Now he found himself on his back on the cold stone floor, pain throbbing through his head, unarmed, and completely at the whim of the energy blade-wielding figure standing above him.

The armed assailant firmly pressed his foot into Randorn's chest as he tried to rise. The energy blade, aglow in the dark alcove, slowly descended towards him. It stopped dangerously close to his nose. The blade crackled and sparked as the figure skillfully maneuvered it to Randorn's neck.

But just then, the other figure -the one whom Randorn had first attacked- rushed forward. Randorn watched his silhouette stop next to the swordsman in the shadows. He exclaimed: "Master! Stop! It's the Gatekeeper! It's the Gatekeeper!"

The voice was young, desperate, but most importantly, it was Cerinian.

Another voice joined in, this one older and rough with a sound akin to a low growl. "You're certain?" it said, "I can't see anything in this room."

"Yes! Yes!" pleaded Randorn. He did his best to avoid sounding desperate, a difficult thing considering his position. "I am Randorn of Starmerge, Gatekeeper of this city."

The figure standing over him side stepped back with obvious hesitation and deactivated his energy blade. As Randorn got back on his feet, he faintly heard what he took as a quiet snarl from this shadow now standing in front of him.

The younger voice called out to some unseen characters, apparently in the next room over. Moments later concealed lights snapped on and the three players in this clumsy contest could finally see each other. They all stood in silence for a few moments, as if sizing each other up. In the wake of the brief scuffle, neither party was ready or willing to take any chances, in spite of the fact that all of them were of the same camp and were all here for the same purpose.

At last Randorn knew the loyalties of the two figures. In the dim glow of the warp panel and the small emergency lights scattered about the floor, Randorn could see that they were Sentinels, the eyes and ears of the Krazoa Order. Their clothes, crisp and formal like military dress uniforms, screamed authority, control, and order.

Randorn realized that he should have expected to find this brand of Avatar at the scene first. The strange deaths of two Avatars were certainly an event of such grave importance to call for Sentinels. In matters such as this, the Order always preferred that such personalities perform the necessary investigations rather than Cerinia's own police.

Their gaze was almost frightening to Randorn. Not so much in their appearance, but rather what he knew the expression meant. He knew how Sentinels functioned, how they scoped out potential threats… They knew how to skillfully break through the mind's defenses. Randorn imagined that this is what both of the Sentinels were doing right now. The tense atmosphere of the scene following the skirmish was more than enough of a reason to give Randorn this treatment. The Gatekeeper now knew why the Lylatians subjected to this mental barrage called Sentinels "The Thieves of Thought".

The younger Sentinel, the unintentional target of Randorn's earlier attack, was standing near the ramp leading up into the Passage of Virtue. His green gauntlets and the intensity with which they shined in the dim light betrayed him as a young, recently commenced Avatar. He was fighting a losing battle to calm his accelerated breath, either from the terrible fright Randorn had given him or it was a part of his focus technique. Randorn could see that this younger Sentinel was holding a small plasma torch in his right hand, which he seemed more then ready to use it as a weapon.

But it was the older Sentinel brandishing a pair of jade ornaments who presented the more intimidating image. His jade-stone encrusted gauntlets denoted him as a High Avatar, a full step above Randorn in rank. That might have explained the way he gazed at Randorn, the same way he had exchanged glares at the young Sentinel.

"So, the Seven have finally sent us a Gatekeeper," he finally said. His voice was neither cold nor friendly but almost somewhere in between, as if the Sentinel had not decided to treat Randorn as friend or foe. His stern, official tone was far from uncertain though.

He looked Randorn over once more, "Albeit, one so young in age."

_Would you prefer they send another city's Gatekeeper? _Randorn briefly thought of firing back. But the last thing he wanted was another scuffle.

"The noble Gatekeeper may collect his staff, if he pleases," the Sentinel continued. Randorn's stomach sank when he remembered that he had been disarmed. Keeping as firm a face as he could, he turned to retrieve his holy weapon. He cursed himself for having lost the weapon – the great Staff of Starmerge – so easily. As he picked the staff up Randorn could almost feel the mocking expression of the old Sentinel's face.

"Don't worry Gatekeeper," the Sentinel said when Randorn did not retract the staff, "we have already secured the scene. The Force Point temple sent us six Honor Guards as sentries. Nobody will be getting in or out without our-," he paused, "and your expressed permission, of course."

Randorn nodded gently. Though he still felt uneasy about his surroundings, he elected to show that he trusted the Sentinels. He retracted his staff to carrying length and returned it to his back. He knew he had to bring the tension down. Perhaps an apology - a peace offering of sorts - would work?

"A thousand apologies," Randorn offered.

The old Sentinel starred at Randorn for a few moments. While Randorn's face was one of apology, his was remained severe and stern. His dark eyes seemed to scorch everything before him and Randorn felt as though they were going right through him. The young Gatekeeper began to feel uneasy and he fought the urge to bring his staff back to combat stance -.

He stopped. Once again he had let his thoughts get away. Randorn feared that the Sentinel was now looking into these escaping emotions and anxieties. It was not a pleasant feeling for him knowing that every loose end in his mind was now fair game. Randorn's weak grasp on who could see his own thoughts was a crippling weakness for him and one that had already gotten him into trouble in the past. More recently, the High Council and the other Gatekeepers had discovered this enervation, giving the higher-ups just one more reason to distrust him.

Randorn feared that the Sentinel had already found his vulnerability. There was no telling what the stone-faced individual was 'seeing' now.

"It's understandable," the elder Sentinel finally replied. His response came as something of a surprise to Randorn. Had the Sentinel actually accepted his apology? The tone of his voice was almost kind.

"This has already been a night of terrible surprises," the Sentinel continued, his face showing his remorse. He looked at something lying off to the side which Randorn had not at all noticed. It was a white shroud emblazoned with gold and black Cerinian characters. The cloth spoke with these: "Travel the path of your ancestors – The Journey now continues." There was a dead Cerinian beneath the shroud.

The older Sentinel performed a shallow bow to acknowledge Randorn's presence, drawing his focus away from the body. "I am Aldari Fandon," he spoke with an official voice, precise and quick, "and this is my Apprentice Deris Nuso," he indicated the younger Sentinel, who still had yet to fully regain his composure.

"But in all honesty Gatekeeper," his tone became serious again, "Did you not see Deris? I sent him out here to greet you after he fixed the warp panel."

Randorn's blood ran cold. His fear of the device was suddenly and violently rekindled. _They tampered with the warp panel?! And I actually came through_…

"And if I may say so Gatekeeper, it is good to see you in one piece," Aldari continued with a _very_ weak smile, the first hint of real personality Randorn had seen of the old vulpine.

Aldari glanced at Deris, whose right hand still clutched the plasma cutting torch, "It's also somewhat comforting to see that even an Apprentice who fears his own shadow can still repair a warp panel." Deris shot back a discontented look at Aldari.

"Repair?" asked Randorn, who had finally found his voice, though it was tight with anxiety. His mind had been racing, thinking up what might have come from the hasty repairs of the young Sentinel. What damage might have been done to him? "Why in Ceris's name did it need to be repaired?"

Deris stepped forward nervously and extended his left hand. In it was a flat, charred, unrecognizable fragment about the size of a dinner plate. Aside from being blackened and crumbling, Randorn could also see narrow incisions. These cuts were glossy black and were lined with twin parallel rows of hardened melted matter.

"This is… or _was _the primary molecular constructor in the warp panel," the young Apprentice explained, "As you can see Gatekeeper, it is not in workable condition. Someone went to great lengths to disable the warp panel before we arrived.

"These marks," Deris traced the deep slices with his finger, "They were clearly made by an energy blade -."

"A _Cerinian _energy blade Deris," added Aldari, "An arc blade to be precise."

Randorn starred at the broken and burned constructor for several seconds. "Can you be sure of that?" His voice was skeptical.

"Absolutely," Deris replied confidently, "Look at how the cut is deepest here," he indicated the center of one of the incisions, "and how there is only minor damage near either end. I would guess that our saboteur simply thrust the weapon straight into the constructor and followed up with a series of slashing attacks. That would explain the burn marks near the -."

The elder Sentinel chose to butt in now with a firm expression. "If you're just about finished with your technical recital, _Novice_," said Aldari irritably while Deris made a little face of annoyance. "There are much more grave things at hand then who or what disabled the warp panel. We have much to do."

He turned to Randorn and looked at him as if he expected the Gatekeeper to speak. But Randorn seemed sickly, apparently quite upset about the hasty repairs to the warp panel.

"But you did not see Deris?" asked Aldari, who had not forgotten his inquiry, "Or the body?" he indicated the pallid corpse with a movement of his arm. Deris pulled back \ the immaculately white sheet down to the shoulders.

Now for the first time Randorn was able to see the body with any detail. He knew instantly that it had once been Fera Trebus. Externally, Randorn kept a firm face. Within however, his mind was very nearly overcome with emotion. So powerful was his grief that he was unable to restrain his thoughts; a vital Avatar act of discipline. If one's emotions became strong enough, any other Avatar could easily sense his true feelings. Avatar's often called this _Nakana Methos_ – literally clumsy mind. The effect was often related to a vessel that contained too much water; in effect a spillover of thought. Randorn tried to control his thoughts; keep them from becoming known. But the sight of Fera's body was too overpowering.

She lay on her left side. In her right hand Fera still clutched her arc blade; though the weapon's fail-safes had turned the energy blade off when she had hit the ground. Her free left hand was clutching her right side, just below her ribs, vainly trying to conceal a fatal wound. The vixen's eyes were closed and her face was frozen with only the slightest hint of the agony of her final moments. This, and the large open wound in her side, told Randorn that she had died slowly.

Randorn suddenly found himself almost searching for a means of escape. He no longer wanted to be here in this shrine. It felt alien now. He didn't want to see Fera anymore, not like this…

"Perhaps… I should begin to brief you Gatekeeper," Aldari finally said, "as the Council has requested. The Healers have completed their evaluations of the bodies. You must have something to take back with you to Ascension."

Randorn was brought back to the situation at hand. Moving on suddenly sounded like the best idea he'd ever heard. He nodded: "Yes, please proceed."

"To begin, it brings me great grief to say that Fera Trebus was not alone. Aldari sighed looked around with a forlorn look as the shroud covered the vixen's face. "A great amount of life has been extinguished tonight Gatekeeper," he said, "All together, we have six bodies on this sight, a seventh at the residence of the Trebus family, and a survivor we found in the street. He's in the hospital's care now."

"_Eight_?!" Randorn said, not even attempting to mask his surprise at Aldari's report, "The Council informed me of only two _missing_, Kailan and Fera Trebus. No _victims._" A cold chill came over Randorn, "What about her husband, Kailan?"

"_Astous Morya_."

'Ascended Reality'. Randorn could not believe it. He tried in vain to negate the image of the Core Energies of first Fera and now Kailan, freed from their bodies and their empirical duties, collecting to join the likes of Krazoa spirits. Randorn had suspected it, but he hadn't imagined how difficult facing the reality would be. He now had a murder investigation on his hands.

Randorn had scarcely a moment to let the facts sink in when Aldari spoke to him. There was a quizzical look on the Sentinel's face. "How did you know the names of two of the victims?" he asked.

The word 'victim' sent another paralyzing spike up Randorn's spine. There was a terrible shock of having such a term applied to two of his lifelong friends.

"I'm afraid there is a further development," Randorn explained, "An infant female kit was sent through this very warp panel to Krazoa Palace in Ascension. Her name is Krysalla Trebus…"

Randorn didn't want to say the next words – it just hurt too much. "She is the daughter of Kailan and Fera," his voice betraying his inner pain, "When she was discovered on the warp panel in Ascension and the message of two missing Avatars in this shrine came in… I…I feared…"

Deris produced a small metallic tablet, called a Reader, whose screen added a small glow to the strange light scheme. He began to scrawl something with a stylus, presumably what Randorn had just said.

Randorn composed himself, knowing what must come next. "Can you tell me what you know?"

In turn, Aldari produced his own Reader on which was a typed memorandum. Apparently a full record of the investigation had already been compiled even if it was not even a day old. Randorn thought of rolling his eyes. The machine that was the Krazoa Order never missed a beat. In his precise, emotionless voice Aldari began to read. Apparently the news of Krysalla had had no bearing on him.

"Notification of an intrusion into South Starmerge Krazoa Shrine was received by a burst Thought Stream message from Krazoa Spirit Urel by the night watch Sentinel at Starmerge Force Point Temple at three hours past midnight this morning. Sentinel Deris and I were deployed here to make a preliminary investigation of the shrine and we arrived approximately one hour ago. When we discovered the bodies, a team of four Healers were designated to the scene. They proceeded with their medical examination while Sentinel Deris attended to the warp panel."

Randorn now entered. "You say you arrived here an hour ago? When did Kai-," he paused. Using the names of the deceased was not appropriate, despite Randorn's connection to them. Plus, Randorn believed their loss would be somewhat easier to bear for the moment if he refrained from mentioning their names.

"When did the two Avatars die?" he finally said.

"The Healers concluded…" Aldari scanned his Reader's screen, "A preliminary time of death- both around thirty minutes past eleven."

"That's four hours ago!" Randorn's voice suddenly rose to a dull roar, but still only hinting at his new found distress and anger, "Why did it take you- or anyone- four hours to get here?"

Aldari's eyes drifted away from the Reader, again burning a withering glare, though he appeared much more piqued.

"Urel's message was not received for unknown reasons," his voice was firm, yet calm, even if his assertive tone hinted at a deeper anger, "If the Gatekeeper so desires, he can ask the spirit himself. He claims his Thought Stream was jammed."

Though Aldari's explanation had some sense to it, Randorn still fumed. If only someone had known, Kailan and Fera might still be alive…

But he was getting ahead of himself. His friends were dead, and no 'what-ifs' were going to change that. What he needed to focus on now was bringing Kailan and Fera's murder- or murderers- to justice.

"Forgive me," he said, trying to calm himself down. Randorn had already been pulled from Ascension in the middle of the night. The last thing he wanted to deal with was an angry old Sentinel. Aldari however did not appear ready or willing to bring himself back down.

"How many people do we have here?" Randorn asked, "Did the temple only send you two in?" No sooner had Randorn closed his lips did he realize how Aldari might interpret that. Sure enough, the Sentinel took it the wrong way.

"Do you forget that this is Starmerge? There are plenty more tasks the _other_ Sentinels must perform," replied Aldari, sounding like the Gatekeeper was criticizing both his brethren and himself, "Many of our number are in Ascension to present to the Gatekeepers at the Summer Forum. And no, we are certainly not alone now. We have acquired six Honor Guards from the Force Point Temple for security and two more teams of Sentinels are on their way as we speak."

It was then that Randorn suddenly noticed that the spirit himself was nowhere to be seen. "Where is Urel?" he asked.

"He's been relocated to the Sendar River Shrine", Aldari quickly answered, "The Council was anxious to make sure he was in a more secure location. He was here when Deris and I arrived but he had been transferred through one of the Temple Guards."

"Did you talk to him at all? Ask him what he saw?"

"We did not have enough time for a proper questioning and I imagine it will be some time before the Honor Guards will let anyone near the shrine," replied Aldari.

Randorn let out a quiet, angry sigh. The only witness to what had happened was now clear across the city. As immature as Urel was, he was more then likely a better source of information then the two Sentinels. He would have to make do with what he had now.

"Why did you say Urel's message was not initially received?" Randorn asked.

"Jamming," Aldari responded through loosely clenched teeth. He was clearly losing patience after Randorn's misread words.

"Jamming?" The word sounded odd to him as he repeated it. Randorn seldom heard the word outside of military circles. He let the word roll around in his head and realized that Urel's message could only be intentionally disrupted by some form of interruption in his Thought Stream. No Avatar technique or piece of technology could do something like that.

"Yes, the Gatekeeper heard me right," said Aldari. His tone gave Randorn the impression that the Sentinel had some more offending comment that he wanted to add but had refrained from using. "That was the word Urel himself used."

Randorn waited for something, perhaps an explanation from either Sentinel. Being the undisputed masters of the Thought Stream, Randorn almost expected a briefing, a theory, an idea, anything from the Sentinels. When no such thing came, he tried to contemplate the idea of Thought Stream 'jamming' himself. The Thought Stream was a very strong force and the only real way of stopping its 'flow' was to stop the source. There was simply no way of doing such a thing with a Krazoa spirit.

But he was getting nowhere with his ideas and Randorn knew that he needed to get back on track. He thought back to what Aldari had said in his initial report, when Urel's message had finally come through; "…received by a burst message three hours ago." And even then it took an hour for the Sentinels to arrive…

"Four hours…" he murmured to himself.

"What was that Gatekeeper?" asked Aldari.

"There was three hours where the jamming was effective and another hour before the first arrival on the scene. If Kailan and Fera died _four _hours before anyone knew they were even here, it means that – for whatever reason – the source of the jamming remained at the shrine even after the Avatars were dead. Do we know anything that happened after the two Avatars were murdered?"

Aldari put on a strange face. It told Randorn what he was going to say before he even moved his lips.

"I cannot tell you with any accuracy what transpired _after _the murders Gatekeeper."

"What? I know for a fact that there are many surveillance systems everywhere in the shrine. The Council uses them to monitor Candidates when they come for their final tests. If I recall, the standard equipment is a TSV system, the Psi-Cams? The ones that use Thought Stream technology. Didn't they pick up _anything_?"

Deris was the one who answered. He shook his head and a genuinely baffled expression came over his features. "They were all disrupted during the estimated time of the murders and the three hours where Urel's communications were disrupted. The controls for the TSV system show a power spike at about twenty six minutes past eleven and then nothing until twelve past two, which is when we received Urel's message. Ultimately, what that means is that the murders were the ones behind the jamming."

"But what it really means is that we have little solid idea of what went on here after the TSV went down," Aldari added, "But we can show you what must have happened _before_ Kailan and Fera were slain," he motioned with his hand, "Come, follow me."

Randorn was led by Aldari and Deris up the staircase at the far end of the room. This took them out of the Warp Entry Room and into the Passage of Virtue, the original path to the Central Chamber and the Krazoa Spirit. Viewed from above, the passage was in the rough shape of the letter U and was made up of three separate rooms.

In these, a film-like energy barrier covered the deep pits and narrow walkways originally built to test any and all who came to retrieve a Krazoa. The barrier went from wall to wall and was as solid as steel. It made traversing the otherwise difficult and dangerous passage easier. It had been deployed by the Sentinels after the bodies were discovered.

Aldari and Deris stopped near the entrance to the Central Chamber in the third room of the passage. Randorn could now see that there were four sheet covered bodies here, two to his left and two to his right. These bodies, unlike Kailan and Fera, had already been inspected and their positions recorded. They had been gathered here because the Central Chamber was still being searched and the passage was significantly cooler than the rest of the shrine. The Passage of Virtue had become a temporary morgue.

Deris directed Randorn's attention to the pair on his left. On these bodies the top third of the sheets had been pulled back so that the faces of the deceased could be seen.

The faces of the two on the left were Cerinian. Urel's eerie glow seemed to turn their blue and white fur into strange new colors. Through this and the dim illumination offered by the lights buried in the glass ceiling, Randorn could clearly make out the light blue robes and chrome armor of the Krazoa Honor Guard.

"Honor Guards?" Randorn was hardly able to keep his shock and horror in check when he spoke. His mind raced – how could _Honor Guards_ be dead? His thoughts were not at all unusual. All Cerinians knew of the Krazoa Honor Guard, the most elite warriors of Cerinia; champions and guardians of the Krazoa Order. Honor Guards were Avatars highly skilled in all forms of combat, with every weapon ever forged. They were legendary for their skill in using their Core Energy as a weapon. Even to Randorn, a Gatekeeper, they seemed invincible. How even one, much less two, of these magnificent combatants could be felled was nearly inconceivable to him.

"Our Healers confirmed that the Honor Guards died some time before your two Avatars. They were found in the chasm, right below where you're standing actually." Aldari's voice now echoed in the ancient walls.

Randorn looked at his feet, hovering in space above the pit. He tried to not imagine the bodies of the Honor Guards hastily thrown with such disgrace by their assailants.

"You mean they were slain before the Avatars?" Randorn asked.

"That's correct. At least one hour prior to the deaths of Kailan and Fera," answered Deris.

"Who killed them then? And did anyone not see the fight, or who the murderers were?"

"You forget that spirit Urel disappeared from the shrine, Gatekeeper," replied Aldari, "That's why Kailan was here; he was the Avatar assigned to recover Urel when he was found at North Point Shrine."

Randorn nodded. He had forgotten about Urel's disappearance as he'd gone missing the day he had left for the Summer Forum in Ascension. He had never heard that Kailan had been sent to bring him back to Starmerge. "What about the Honor Guards themselves?" he asked.

"They arrived for their ceremonial guard duty on time, which was at ten. Their relief guards would not have been here until two in the morning, which, again, is when we received Urel's message. They never reported any unusual activity prior to their…demise," said Aldari with certain grimness.

"So then, we have no idea who killed the Honor Guards _or _the Avatars?"

"Not true at all Gatekeeper," said Deris. His voice contained a certain pleasure in having the answer prepared. "For that, we turn to these two." The young Sentinel moved with purpose to the two sheeted bodies on the right. He pulled back the top third of the sheets, revealing a pair of fittingly alien faces. Both were Lupines, wolves, a Lylatian species rarely ever seen on Cerinia. In fact, when Randorn thought about it, one hardly ever saw _any_ Lylatians outside of red-furred Vulpines.

From what Randorn could see, both of the wolves were dressed in dark hooded robes. Both of the wolves' hoods had been pulled back to reveal their frozen faces with their cold, dead eyes. There was nothing on their faces or necks that told of their demise. But it wasn't the Lylatian faces that grabbed Randorn's interest.

"What's that insignia on his chest?" the Gatekeeper pointed at a strange crimson sign on the wolf's body.

"Is this what you see?" said Aldari, revealing a swath of black cloth with the crimson symbol emblazoned on it.

"Where did you get that?"

"We removed it from the wounded Lylatian before they took him to the hospital," he answered matter-of-factly; "I thought we would need it for later."

"The _wounded _Lylatian?"

"Yes. The seventh body. Did you forget that I said there were eight victims?"

"No. No I didn't. Where is the eighth?"

"Dead at the Trebus family household."

Randorn's voice was very suddenly filled with a certain emotion. "What?!"

****"He's just like this group; black robes and this badge", answered Deris, "We have a team of Healers and Sentinels team there as well. They reported that he died at least one half hour before the two Avatars."

"But what in _Astous _is he doing at the home of two of the victims? And why is he dead?"

Aldari responded with a face as hard as stone, which Randorn took to be an expression of stoic frustration. "That we do not know."

He continued to talk, responding to a question that Randorn had been thinking but had not spoken. "I know you're frustrated with my Apprentice and I Gatekeeper. But I can guarantee that the Lylat Intelligence Office will be just as frustrated with _us_."

"LIO? They already know about this?"

"Yes, unfortunately," replied Aldari, this time directing his passing anger at the Lylat Intelligence Office.

Randorn was not surprised. In fact, he did not even bother to ask how LIO had already found out about the murders. Those damned Shadows always knew, somehow…

Randorn himself knew that since Cerinia had made first contact with the multi-species coalition known as the Lylat System, the enigmatic and dutiful Lylat Intelligence Office had been coming here. He was told, like everyone else, that LIO was only here to research the Krazoa ruins on Cerinia. But even if that were true – an assumption not taken for granted by anyone within the Order- LIO's agents had a reputation as shadowy figures who had never fully gained the trust or blessings of the Order. Many felt that they were intruders; sticking their alien noses into business that was not theirs.

Four dead Lylatians was sure to get the attention of LIO, no matter what the circumstances. Randorn was already dreading the political headache that was sure to follow the investigation.

"So we've got four Avatars murdered by Lylatians," said Randorn to no one in particular, "I'm sure those damned Shadows will_ love_ to hear that."

"Oh there is so much LIO will love to hear Gatekeeper," said Aldari, "Namely how two of the murderers are dead here in this shrine…"

"Just a moment please," Randorn begged, "All these fragmented pieces of the same puzzle. Do we have any kind of timeline or sequence of events laid out?"

Aldari shook his head solemnly slowly. Randorn's spirit sank to a new low. "All we know is what I have already told you. The Honor Guards arrive, they're assailed and killed. Then Kailan, Fera, and the kit arrive. Kailan dies and Fera attempts to escape through the warp panel, but from what you said earlier, it sounds like she chose to send her kit through first. Saving her daughter was probably the last thing she lived to do."

Randorn held back tears and emotions again. Quickly, he turned the conversation to what had happened next. He looked at the other two bodies for a few moments, scrutinizing them, "All right. But what killed our _murderers_ then? I don't see anyphysical wounds."

"Psionic feedback," Aldari knelt beside one of the wolves and tilted the head until its right ear was in the light. The inside of the ear was smeared with dried blood.

"Their eyes are as red as old stars. All that blood had to come from _somewhere_." Randorn knew this speech. Though not a doctor or Healer, he knew that any large quantity of blood in the sensory organs was an indication of psionic feedback. From the amount Randorn could discern, he could surmise that catastrophic damage had been done to the brains of the two Lylatians.

"That's all we have to go on. We'll have to wait for the official autopsy. Assuming of course that LIO lets us keep the bodies long enough," Aldari rose to his feet again.

A chill suddenly went up Randorn's spine. "If the_ murderers_ were killed by psionic feedback, then do we have Cerinian… or even _Avatar_ suspects?"

Deris shook his head. "Urel did not report any other Cerinians outside of Kailan and Fera. Urel was released before Kailan was killed, so if any Avatars had entered the shrine and then killed our murderers, Urel would have seen it."

"But then… surely Urel saw who _did_ kill the murderers?

"If he did," replied Aldari, "We don't know. We will have to wait until we have access to Urel again."

For once, neither Sentinel had an answer. Randorn cursed quietly.

It was still raining outside. For a moment, Randorn considered running to the streets and just letting the rain soak him, cleanse him of all the death he now felt surrounded by. Just forget about the formality and dignity of the situation and procedures. And just scream and cry over his friends' deaths. Anything to get out of this shrine where nine had come and only one had left.

But such was not very becoming of a Gatekeeper. All he could do was gaze out at the rain and imagine that somewhere, out there in the city or perhaps even off world by now, was the killer of killers – the Off Worlder with an aura – if he even existed.


End file.
